A much less successful car from Volkswagen was the Type 4. In fact, the 4 series was an absolute sales disaster in the United States. Sold as the 411 and the 412 here, the VW Type 4's were available in fastback, notchback, and wagon form, but the notchback was not available in the U.S.

So what made the Type 4 Volkswagen's Edsel, at least in North American eyes? Mainly, it was due to it being overweight and underpowered, plus a tendency to use too much oil.

The Type 4 featured VW's first four-door sedan (pictured above, in European form), and its styling was more prosaic than previous VW sedans and squareback wagons. It was, in fact, the company's last attempt at a viable aircooled rear-engine design. By the mid-seventies, Volkswagen would move away from that configuration.